Color Theory Basics

What is color theory?

Color Theory is a set of principles used to create harmonious color combinations.
Color relationships can be visually represented with a color wheel —
the color spectrum wrapped onto a circle.

The color wheel is a visual representation of color theory:

According to color theory, harmonious color combinations use any two
colors opposite each other on the color wheel, any three colors equally
spaced around the color wheel forming a triangle, or any four colors forming
a rectangle (actually, two pairs of colors opposite each other). The harmonious
color combinations are called color schemes – sometimes the term
'color harmonies' is also used. Color schemes remain harmonious regardless
of the rotation angle.

Classic color schemes supported by Color Wheel Pro:

Monochromatic Color Scheme

The monochromatic color scheme uses variations
in lightness and saturation of a single color. This scheme looks clean and elegant. Monochromatic
colors go well together, producing a soothing effect. The monochromatic scheme is very easy on
the eyes, especially with blue or green hues.

Analogous Color Scheme

The analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent
to each other on the color wheel. One color is used as a dominant color while others are used to
enrich the scheme. The analogous scheme is similar to the monochromatic, but offers more nuances.

Complementary Color Scheme

The complementary color scheme consists of two
colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. This scheme looks best when you place a
warm color against a cool color, for example, red versus green-blue. This scheme is intrinsically
high-contrast.

Split Complementary Color Scheme

The split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard
complementary scheme. It uses a color and the two colors adjacent to its complementary. This provides
high contrast without the strong tension of the complementary scheme.

Triadic Color Scheme

The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced
around the color wheel. This scheme is popular among artists because it offers strong visual contrast
while retaining harmony and color richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary
scheme, but it looks more balanced and harmonious.

Tetradic (Double Complementary) Color Scheme

The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the most
varied because it uses two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all
four hues are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color
to be dominant or subdue the colors.

Color theory does not analyze tints, shades, and tones

Color theory analyzes only the relationships of pure colors; it does not take color
lightness and saturation into account. While your color scheme can use any tints, shades, and tones,
color theory pays attention only to the hue component.

Color theory considers both these schemes equal:

History of color theory

The first color wheel was invented by Sir Isaac Newton. He split white sunlight into
red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, and blue beams; then he joined the two ends of the color spectrum
together to show the natural progression of colors. Newton associated each color with a note of a
musical scale.

A century after Newton, Johann Wolfgang Goethe began studying
psychological effect of colors. He noticed that blue gives a feeling of
coolness and yellow has a warming effect. Goethe created a color wheel
showing the psychological effect of each color. He divided all the colors
into two groups – the plus side (from red through orange to yellow)
and the minus side (from green through violet to blue). Colors of the
plus side produce excitement and cheerfulness. Colors of the minus side
are associated with weakness and unsettled feelings.

The current form of color theory was developed by Johannes
Itten, a Swiss color and art theorist who was teaching at the School of Applied Arts in Weimar,
Germany. This school is also known as 'Bauhaus'. Johannes Itten developed 'color chords' and modified
the color wheel. Itten's color wheel is based on red, yellow, and blue colors as the primary triad
and includes twelve hues.